"Orfeo & Majnun", between Greek myth and Persian tale

An Ancient Myth and a Persian Tale Embroider the Canvas of Orfeo & Majnun Opera between Europe and the Middle -Orient, that presented this June 29 in Brussels the Théâtre de la Monnaie, before a French premiere at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, Sunday, July 8th. The legend of Orpheus and Eurydice joins the most famous love story of the Arab world, under the pen of the poet Nizami in 1188, that of Layla and Majnun, that social conventions will separate more than death: the young woman will be forced to marry another, provoking the madness of the poet Quays, hence his nickname "majnun" (fool).

A prologue celebrates language, capable of "expressing vital needs, emotions, and, proper to the man, ideas and images " seems to refer to the Baroque opera, likewise the poetic writing of the librettist Martina Winkel, who participates in the uncluttered staging of Airan Berg. The Big Bang of the creation of the world will precede that of the love encounter. A bare plate, projections in a circle of the moon, the life-sized animal puppets of Roger Titley (deer and wolf on one side, lion and camel on the other), and a small shadow theater, accompany two couples of soloists treated in mirror, and an immense crowd, that of the Choirs of children and young people of La Monnaie to which amateurs have joined.

The remarkable quality of the work of each one contributes to the success of a show which intertwines with an astonishing fluidity the Western and Arabic musical idioms. The prize goes to the triumvirate of the composers: the Franco-Palestinian Moneim Adwan for the parts of traditional music (in particular the roles of Layla and Majnun, sung in Arabic), the British Howard Moody for the big choral ensembles (in English), and the Belgian Dick van der Harst for the western section (including the roles of Orpheus and Eurydice).

A stratospheric Eurydice

From the dramatic opening, the …